One Hot Doctor by Sarah J. Brooks
Chapter 11
Cora
I’m starving. There’s chili in the kitchen, but my body is demanding a pizza. Are you getting food cravings yet?
I laugh at Riley’s text message. After the initial shock of finding myself pregnant with Thomas’s baby, I’m happy and excited. Both of our families know and are excited about the baby. I’m super stoked that my best friend and I will share this experience together.
I text her back.
Nope, none, but I’m game for pizza. I’m starving.
I hit send and stretch my legs out under my office desk. It’s noon, and my body feels as if I haven’t eaten for two days. It’s Friday, and I can’t wait for the weekend, especially Sunday morning when I get to sleep in.
Of course, there’s another reason why I’m looking forward to the weekend. Thomas. We’re attending the party at my sister’s place, and I can’t wait to see him. I haven’t seen him since midweek, but we’ve spoken several times.
My phone vibrates, and I swipe the screen to read the message from Riley.
I know just the place. Will pick you up in ten minutes.
I text back.
I’ll be waiting.
I turn off my computer and leave my office. I’m glad that we’re going for pizza and not anywhere fancy as I’m dressed in joggers and a tank top. That is my normal dress code Monday to Friday unless I’m going somewhere special.
I walk through the gym, waving to a few clients and chatting with some of the instructors. By the time ten minutes are over, I’m outside waiting for Riley. My mind veers to Thomas as it inevitably does when I’m unoccupied. I muse over his house and how perfect it is for a family. I visualize myself and our baby living there with him. I see lazy Sundays spent frolicking on the expansive fenced-in backyard.
A hoot jolts me to the present, and I’m embarrassed to see Riley’s car right in front of me.
“You were so lost in thought,” she says after we’ve hugged and I’ve snapped on my seatbelt. She grins. “I bet you were thinking about that fine baby daddy.”
“How do you know if he’s fine or not?” I ask her.
“I trust your taste,” she says. “Besides, I’ll meet him tomorrow at your sister’s place.”
“You got an invite too?”
“Not directly,” she says. “The invitation was for Mom and a friend, but she asked me and Leo to go on her behalf. She’s at Noah and Eva’s.”
“My mom will miss her,” I say. I can’t even count the number of years our mothers have been best friends. “That sounds all wrong. We’ll be happy to have you and Leo.”
She laughs. “Relax, there’s nothing in this world you can say that would offend me.”
All of a sudden, I’m overcome by emotion. The realization of how special it is to have that kind of a friend. Tears fill my eyes, and I sniff as a sob tears through me. How many people get to hear the words that Riley just said to me?
There’s nothing in this world you can say that would offend me.
“Cora! Are you okay? What is it?”
I can’t talk from ugly sobbing. Riley stops the car. “I’m getting worried. Tell me what is wrong.”
I manage to stop sobbing and look at Riley. “It just hit me how special our friendship is. When you said there was nothing I could say that would offend you, it just floored me. For the record, I could say the same.”
Riley’s eyes tear up. “I know what you mean. I’ve told Leo how much our friendship means to me so many times that I’m sure that he is fed up now.”
I laugh shakily. “Look at us. This is crazy. We’ve parked the car on the side of the road to cry.”
Riley laughs too, and in the next few minutes, we laugh, although I am sure neither of us remembers what we’re laughing about. She jams the car into gear and guns the engine.
“So where are we going for pizza?” I ask Riley.
“Downtown LA. It’s near the firehouse,” she says.
Leo is a firefighter, and he works in fire station 254. I know this because Riley was a paramedic firefighter before she gave it up to work for an ambulance service.
“It’s owned by the woman who was our wedding planner, Marian Stevens. You remember her?” Without giving me time to respond, she continues speaking. “Anyway, her husband, Declan owns the pizza place. His brother, Ace is a firefighter as well and works with Leo.”
“I can’t keep track of who is who in the station and definitely can’t remember who is related to who.”
“Declan and Marian are the couple I was telling you about who got hitched in Vegas after a drunken night,” Riley says.
The story comes back to me, and I laugh. Apparently, they’d met on the plane and then found themselves in the same hotel in Vegas, unaware that they were there to attend the same wedding. They’d met again at the bar and proceeded to drink together. Then one of them had come up with the idea of getting married. I shake my head as I imagine the horror of waking up to a stranger who just happens to be your new husband. Their story makes me and Thomas look pale by comparison. It’s nice to hear they’re still together.
They are like one big family in the station, and I admire them for that. It’s rare to find Leo and Riley at home during the weekends. There’s always something or another for one of the guys. If not that, then they are out of town visiting Leo’s family, who live on a farm somewhere in the middle of nowhere.
Life is tough for us single women. As pleased as you are when your friend finds love, it’s tough because they become scarce. Riley and I are lucky because our jobs are pretty flexible, and we can meet during the week.
She glides to a stop and gets a parking spot right in front of the pizza place.
“You’ll love their pepperoni pizza,” Riley says, and my stomach starts rumbling. Only when we get out of the car and we’re walking to the entrance do I notice how big Riley’s belly has gotten.
“The baby has really grown,” I say admiringly as if it’s all Riley’s doing.
We chat about our pregnancies as we enter the restaurant. I’m hit by the delicious scent of roasting bread. It’s clearly a popular place judging by the ordering queue. Funny that I’m not a pizza fan or indeed any type of junk food, but right now, I can’t think of anything I’d want to eat more. The queue moves fast and, in a few minutes, it’s our turn to order.
We find an empty table, settle in, and wait until our order is ready. Riley carries the pizza, and I carry our bottles of water. For the next five minutes, the only sounds that come from our table are the crunching of teeth.
“I feel human again,” Riley says.
“Me too.” I take a gulp of water and eat the next slice of pizza more luxuriously now that the initial gnawing hunger has been abated.
“How long is your mom going to be away?” I ask Riley.
“Might be a while. She’s gone to take care of Eva.”
My heart skips a beat “No. Did she?” I ask, not even daring to say the words.
Riley smiles, and I let out a breath of relief. Her brother and sister-in-law have had issues with fertility in the last couple of years, but Eva is now pregnant.
They used to live close by, but they moved south of the state a year ago.
“The doctor has put her on bed rest, so Mom’s gone to help them.”
My mom was that mom a couple of months ago, and if anyone had asked me if she would help me with the baby, the answer would have been a resounding yes. The way she is now, I’ll be lucky to get a visit. She’s been coming to the gym, and I’ve seen her with Ian a couple of times, but I’ve chosen to ignore it. He cannot be serious. Mom is at least thirty years older than him.
I bet Riley’s mom would have knocked some sense into her. Mom’s hobbies used to be gardening and knitting. Not flirting with men young enough to be her kid.
I tell Riley all these things, and she urges me to let it go.
“It’s never that serious. Let her have fun; she’ll come to her senses.”
I’ll try and relax about my mother. I seem to be the only one worrying, so obviously I’m the one in the wrong.
***
I swear I’ve changed outfits three times. I feel squashed as if the dress’s material is too snug on my belly, which doesn’t make any sense as I haven’t gained any weight. I don’t look remotely pregnant. No rounded belly. Nothing. On the third try, I stand in front of the mirror, unable to decide if the beige shift dress is too short. The ringing doorbell is what saves me from trying on another dress.
I buzz Thomas up, and when he gets out of the elevator, I’m at the door and ready to leave. I don’t see his face at first because he’s holding a big bouquet of roses. My sense of smell has gone haywire, but this time, I’m grateful for it as floral scents waft up my nose.
“You look beautiful,” Thomas says, his voice hoarse and seductive. “These are for you.” He hands me the elegantly wrapped flowers.
“Thank you.” I’m breathless as I take the flowers from him, and I have to admit, thoroughly touched. I can’t remember the last time I got flowers from someone. Plus, we’re not dating, and there’s no obligation to be extra nice. “I’ll take them inside, and then we can leave.”
I push the door open, carry the flowers to the kitchen, and fetch a vase. Thomas follows me into the kitchen, and as I’m arranging the flowers, he slips his hands around my waist.
He nibbles my neck, and I let my body slack against him. A sigh escapes my lips as all sorts of sensations travel from my neck to the rest of my body. Thomas’s hands move up my body to cup my breasts over my dress. An urgent need to kiss him comes over me, and I turn around and tip my head to welcome his kiss. Time loses meaning as we make out against the kitchen counter.
Then he breaks the kiss, and when I open my eyes, my heart pounds hard as our gazes meet and hold. Thomas has one hand cupping my cheek, and he caresses my face. He wears an expression that I cannot read.
“You are the meaning of the word temptation,” he growls before taking my hand and leading me out of my apartment.
The air is still charged in the car as we head to Adeline’s place. We are already late as the party was supposed to start at 2 p.m. It is now a quarter past. Adeline is a stickler for time, and I know that Thomas and I will get her scolding. She treats everyone as if they’re her twins, but the make-out session was worth it. My body is still tingling from desire, and I can’t wait for the party to be over, and Thomas and I can return home. That’s a silly thought to have considering that we haven’t even gotten there.
“What?” Thomas asks, an amused tone in his voice.
I hadn’t realized that I had chuckled out aloud. For some reason, the truth stumbles out of my mouth. “I was thinking that I can’t wait for the party to be over so you and I can go back home to finish what we started.”
Thomas hisses. “Fuck, Cora. You know exactly what to say to make a man feel like he has been punched in the belly. We can turn back now. We can skip the party.”
I giggle. “And what shall I tell Adeline?”
“You can tell her that I had an emergency procedure and that you were my nurse.”
I burst out laughing. The sexual tension eases as we move on to other topics. Adeline lives in the suburbs in the kind of home every woman dreams of raising her family in. It’s surrounded by a lawn so thick and soft you could confuse it for a mattress.
As we cruise down the semi-circular drive that stops in front of the house, it hits me how much my sister’s place reminds me of Thomas’s place.
“We’re here,” Thomas says and kills the engine.
A few minutes later, my belly is in knots as we walk up to the front door, anticipating the scolding that we’re about to endure. Thomas rings the bell, and while we wait, his gaze sears my body.
The door opens, pulling us out of the haze of desire surrounding us. It unbelievable the things that he makes me feel with just a look.
Adeline stands at the door, but instead of the irritated look I was expecting to see, she looks as if she has just received shocking news. “Hi, Thomas. Welcome.” She flashes him her fake smile and then turns to me. “Can I see you for a sec?”
She takes my arm and pulls me out, shutting the door behind us. I can’t think what could be so urgent that it cannot wait until later.
“What?” I ask her.
“It’s Mom!” Adeline hisses even though no one can hear us. “She’s gone nuts. She’s wearing the most inappropriate clothes. She’s wearing a see-through skirt and a tank top that’s showing her stomach. It’s embarrassing.”
I raise an eyebrow. “You told me that she’s just having some harmless fun.”
Adeline continues like I’ve not spoken. “And she brought that guy from your gym, and she’s introducing him as her boyfriend. My parents-in-law are here. I want the ground to swallow me!” Misery coats her voice, and I feel sorry for her. I know how she feels.
“You have to do something,” Adeline says.
“Like what?” I cry out and then immediately realize how unhelpful that is. I soften my tone. “Listen, there’s nothing we can do now. Maybe we can all stage an intervention later, make her see sense.”
Adeline nods frantically and then takes deep breaths. “Okay. I can get through this evening. As long as you’re here.”
